


Sebby

by _6661_ (cazmalfoy)



Series: Pavarotti [3]
Category: Glee
Genre: A+ Parenting, Age Regression/De-Aging, Daddy Jeff, Daddy Kurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Infidelity, M/M, Mention of Kurt Hummel/Blaine Anderson, Multi, Non-Sexual Age Play, Not Klaine Friendly, Uncle Hunter, Uncle Nick, group relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-23
Updated: 2016-11-23
Packaged: 2018-08-16 09:41:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8097286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cazmalfoy/pseuds/_6661_
Summary: Sebastian has a fight with his father and he can't take it, so he runs. By the time Jeff finds him, he's Sebby; a five year old in desperate need of affection.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is part of my Pavarotti universe. The series was originally meant to be nothing but smut, but then plot decided to worm its way into the series. I blame Sebastian; he's a very pushy muse.
> 
> *** WARNING ***
> 
> This contains non-sexual age play/regression. Nothing sexual ever happens between the boys and Sebastian, while Sebby is around. If any of this squicks you, please click the back button. No harm, no foul.
> 
> ***
> 
> This has been edited from the original version, and an additional 1,000 words has been added.

Jeff Sterling was halfway through his history homework when his cell beeped. He briefly considered ignoring it - he had a lot of work to get done, which explained why he was doing homework on a _Friday evening!_ \- but eventually curiosity got the better of him, and he reached over for the phone.

It was a group message, he immediately saw; but not from Pavarotti. This was a new group chat, just between him, Nick and Kurt. Hunter was out of state at his cousin’s wedding, which explained why he had been left out, but Jeff had no idea why Sebastian wasn’t in the loop.

Kurt: _Has anyone heard from Sebastian tonight? I tried calling him, but he's not picking up._

The blond frowned. It wasn't like Sebastian to not answer his phone; it was usually in his hand at all times unless he was in class or having sex. The French-American teenager was even less likely to ignore it when Kurt was the one calling him. He'd had a crush on Kurt since the moment they had met; they all knew it. In fact, the countertenor was the only one still oblivious to how much Sebastian actually adored him.

He drummed his fingers against the desk as he tried to think when he had last seen Sebastian. Their last lesson had been history, but then he couldn't remember seeing him since. That had been almost four hours ago.

Dread quickly filled Jeff at the thought of Sebastian being missing. It wasn't like the other Warbler to hide himself away from the world; especially on a Friday.

Unless he was getting ready to go to Scandals, Jeff thought, trying to stay rational. He quickly dismissed that idea. Sebastian didn't like going out on his own, and he clearly hadn't asked any of them. Jeff had no idea who else Sebastian trusted to take care of him while he was drunk, so he was confident he hadn't asked anyone else.

His phone beeped again, pulling Jeff from his thoughts. It was a reply from Nick, even though the other teenager was at piano practice still.

Nick: _Wasn’t he going to his parents’ today? Or was that next week. I can’t remember._

Kurt's response was almost instantaneous. 

Kurt: _Shit, you’re right. It was today. Jeff…_

Swearing under his breath, Jeff dropped his pen and jumped to his feet. He grabbed his jacket, phone and car keys; abandoning the work completely. He had more important things he needed to worry about.

He was already halfway out of the door, before he replied with, _I’m on it. Just… get there as quickly as you can._

_***_

The house was in total darkness when Jeff arrived a short while later. He wasn't proud of it, but he had definitely broken a few speed laws to get there in record time. Buying a house a decent distance away from the school to make sure they didn't get caught had seemed like a good idea at the time, but when he needed to get there in a hurry, Jeff found himself wishing the building was closer.

He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he pulled into the driveway and spotted a familiar Mustang waiting for him. If they had been wrong about where Sebastian was, they could have been driving around the city for hours looking for him.

After shutting off the engine, Jeff fired off a text message to Nick and Kurt.

_Found him. He's at the house. Don't worry about rushing here; be careful x_

Jeff frowned when he realised that the Mustang's engine was still running and the driver's door was open. The house wasn't in one of the fancier areas of Westerville, but it still wasn't a good idea to leave a brand new car open and idling in the driveway.

Sebastian had obviously been so desperate to get inside that he hadn't even realised.

The blond shut the engine off and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Before he closed the door, he spotted Sebastian's cell phone on the centre console and grabbed that as well. He glanced at the screen, and saw that there were five missed calls from Kurt and three text messages.

Kurt had clearly underplayed how worried about Sebastian he really was.

Jeff sighed when he saw that, like the car, the door to the house was unlocked; although, at least this one was closed, he reasoned. For Sebastian to not only forget about securing his car, but to then leave the house open to intruders, Jeff knew that things were as bad as they all had expected.

One of their rules was that the house door was _always_ locked, even if they were waiting for one of them to arrive. It was too risky to leave it open. Both Jeff and Kurt were eighteen now; if someone found out what they were doing with the younger teenagers (even if there was only a year in age between them), they could both find themselves in hot water.

It was safer for everyone involved if their relationship was kept secret and behind locked doors.

For a brief moment, Jeff considered calling out to Sebastian, but he quickly talked himself out of it. If Nick and Kurt were right and Sebastian _had_ seen his parents, the other teenager would be an emotional wreck, and Jeff was pretty sure he wouldn't get an answer, anyway.

Only bothering to flick on the hall light, Jeff toed off his sneakers and kicked them under the sideboard that had come with the house.

Sebastian had bought the house at a silent auction as part of an estate sale. Jeff was entirely sure how he had managed it since he was underage, but the keys had been in his hand less than a week later. Of course, there were some items they had added - most of them in the Master bedroom - but the majority of the furniture had remained unchanged.

Sure, it was a little dated and old fashioned, but they had originally only been planning on use the house for sex, anyway, so it hadn't mattered to them.

As they had gotten to know each other, they had started spending more time at the house for things over than sex (they even had a movie night quite frequently), but none of them could bring themselves to buy new sofas and chairs. Everything had been cleaned to within an inch of its life by professionals, so they weren't concerned. 

One of the few items of furniture that Sebastian  _had_ added was a bed in the second bedroom. At first they had tried using a standard king size bed, but it just hadn't been big enough for all five of them. After weeks of trying to compromise, Sebastian had caved and ordered a bed to be custom made. This new bed was definitely big enough to fit all five teenagers, and it also only just fit into the second bedroom.

It was on this bed that Jeff found Sebastian. Curled up in a tight ball, with his back pressed against the headboard. He had pulled his knees up to his chest, and was resting his head against his knees.

His entire body was shaking with sobs, breaking Jeff's heart completely.

Jeff had never met Robert Smythe, and he hoped he never had to. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold his tongue, knowing how he treated his son.

There weren’t many things that could break Sebastian. He was usually the one who was so strong, so calm and in control. His father’s scathing words always had a habit of reducing him to… this.

Every time he saw Sebastian like this, Jeff got angrier with the Smythe patriarch and he made a silent vow to himself that he was going to correct whatever stupid thought Mr Smythe had put in Sebastian’s mind this time.

Which was why Kurt had sent him after Sebastian first. Jeff was the one their boy needed the most.

Jeff took a deep breath to calm himself. It wasn't Sebastian he was mad at, and he would only scare the boy if he didn't relax a little. When he felt confident that he wasn't broadcasting how he felt all over his face, he gently took a step into the room.

“Sebby?” he called softly.

At the sound of his name, Sebby’s head snapped up in surprise. Jeff winced when he saw the other's face. His green eyes were red rimmed and he had tear stains on his cheeks. He looked like he had been crying for hours. Why the hell hadn't they realised where he was earlier.

This young boy in front of him wasn’t Sebastian Smythe - playboy extraordinaire. This was Sebby; a timid five year old, who was desperate for the love and affection he should get from his _real_ father.

Jeff remembered the day he had first met Sebby as though it had been the day before. The four of them - it had been before Hunter had transferred - had only been playing around with each other for a month. Then Sebastian's parents had been called to the school, to discuss his academic performance at the school. It was routine for all students, and Sebastian's report had been exceptional. But Robert Smythe had still managed to find something he wasn't happy with.

Sebby had come into their lives that evening, and they had all fallen in love with him from the very first moment. 

“Daddy!” Sebby breathed when he spotted Jeff. He clambered up onto his knees and threw himself at Jeff as soon as he was close enough. The blond chuckled and stumbled back a little, before righting himself again. Sebby snaked his arms around Jeff, in a tight hug.

Jeff wasn't surprised at Sebby's choice of name for him. From the moment he had come into their lives, Sebby had decided that Jeff and Kurt were his 'Daddy' and 'Papi' respectively. To make things easier for his five-year old mind, Nick had become his 'Uncle', as had Hunter when he had joined their group.

“I couldn’t find you,” Sebby murmured, pressing his face against Jeff’s torso.

Because Sebby was a representation of Sebastian's five year old self, he sometimes struggled with modern technology. Using a cell phone to make a call, was just one of the things Sebby couldn't wrap his childlike mind around. It also explained why he hadn't answered any of Kurt's calls. 

Jeff was just glad that Sebastian had been able to hold Sebby off until he'd arrived at the house. If the younger boy had taken control while they had been on the road, the evening could have ended a lot differently.

Forcing himself to focus on the present, and not what could have been, Jeff wrapped his arms around Sebby. “You didn’t need to, baby,” he whispered, holding him close. “I knew you’d be here, waiting for me. I’ll always find you.” He leant down and pressed a kiss to the crown of Sebby’s head.

Sebby hummed happily in response and tried to burrow further into Jeff’s embrace. He took a deep breath, inhaling Jeff’s scent, letting it surround and calm him. “Missed you.” Even though his face was hidden, Jeff could hear the pout in his voice.

Jeff briefly tightened his grip. “I’ve missed you too, baby,” he replied softly. Sebby usually appeared at least once a month; more if Sebastian was forced to interact with his parents at a family or charity event. Lately, though, he had been a hard boy to find. The last time they had seen Sebby, had been almost three weeks before Kurt had returned to them.

The way they were standing wasn’t exactly the most comfortable position for Jeff, but he had no inclination to make his boy move. Especially not when Jeff was pretty sure he had fallen asleep.

It was only when Sebby sniffled and wiped his cheeks on the sleeve of his own blazer that Jeff realised he was still awake. Jeff screwed his nose up at the action (Kurt was going to crazy when he saw the state of Sebastian's uniform) and glanced at his watch over Sebby’s shoulder. It wasn’t late - barely seven o’clock - but it had been an emotionally troubling day for Sebby.

He was bound to have an energy crash soon. Jeff wanted to make sure he was bathed and ready for bed before that happened.

Decision made, Jeff tried to take a small step back, out of the other's embrace. As soon as he realised what Jeff was trying to do, Sebby let out a whine and shook his head. He never lessened his grip on the blazer he was holding tightly.

Jeff frowned at the action and had to bite his lip to stop himself from swearing. Normally, Sebby was pretty clingy, but he wasn’t usually _this_ bad.

What the _hell_ had Mr Smythe said to him?

Instead of focusing on what might have been said, Jeff ran a hand over the boy’s head. “Calm down, baby,” he soothed. “I’m not leaving you, I promise. I’m going to go run us a bath to help you relax.”

“Don’t go,” Sebby begged, curling his fingers tighter around Jeff’s blazer.

Jeff’s heart broke at the desperation in his boy's voice. “Oh, Sebby,” Jeff murmured, pressing his lips against Sebby's forehead. “I won’t be long; I’m not even going far. But you need a bath before bed.”

Sebby grumbled and shook his head, refusing to let go of Jeff's blazer. Jeff sighed lightly and gently pried Sebby's fingers from the material. Before the young boy could protest, Jeff knelt down and reached under the bed.

When they had realised that Sebby was going to be a semi-frequent addition to their relationship, Kurt had decided he needed things other little boys did. Namely, somewhere to keep his toys. A quick trip to the Disney Store in Columbus had resulted in an insane number of toys for the five year old and a toy box courtesy of Kurt.

“Here you go.” Jeff handed Sebby the first toy he touched; a super hero action figure. “Can you play with Cap for a minute, while Daddy puts the bath on?” He pouted a little at Sebby, and widened his eyes playfully.

The frown on Sebby’s face deepened as he glanced between Jeff, the toy and back again. Clearly he was torn between wanting to be a good boy for his Daddy, and not wanting to let Jeff out of his sight in case he didn't come back.

Eventually, he slowly nodded his head and Jeff grinned. “Thank you, baby,” he whispered, leaning up and pressing a kiss to Sebby’s nose, making the other boy giggle. “I promise I won’t be long.”

When Jeff was positive that Sebby would be okay on his own, he quickly slipped out of the room and headed down the corridor to the bathroom.

After flicking on the faucets, Jeff pulled the cabinet open. He was looking for Sebby's bubbles. The five year old loved bubble baths more than anything else. Jeff suspected it was because Kurt adored submersing himself in bubbles and it made Sebby feel closer to him.

Of course, Sebby's bubbles had all been used and they had forgotten to replace them. Jeff hesitated for a second, before grabbing a bottle of Kurt's favourite bubble bath. The other man would kill him, but bubbles always calmed Sebby down and Jeff knew that was what he needed, so made sure to add enough to please his boy.

As the tub filled, Jeff returned to the bedroom to make sure Sebby was okay. The sight that met him, made him pause in the doorway with an affectionate smile on his face.

All traces of the previously upset young boy had disappeared; thank god. Now Sebby was sitting, cross legged in the centre of the bed, making Captain America fly around in the air with a big grin on his face.

“Baby, I’m not sure Cap can fly,” Jeff commented, chuckling to himself.

Sebby didn’t look up as he continued to make the action figure move. “With Loki’s powers he can, Daddy,” he stated as though it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Ah,” Jeff murmured, pushing himself away from the doorway and stepping further into the room. “Consider me corrected.” He reached out and placed his hand over Sebby’s. “Come on. Your bath’s ready.”

A scowl flittered across Sebby’s face and he shook his head. “Don’t wanna,” he grumbled, stubbornly pulling his hand out of Jeff's grip.

Jeff had been expecting the resistance from Sebby. He gently tugged the toy from Sebby's hand and pulled the young boy to his feet. “I know you don’t, Sebby,” he agreed. “But you need to.” Sebby shook his head so Jeff switched to bargaining; Kurt would probably have used the word 'bribery'. “I’ll read you a story before bed?”

Green eyes lit up. “Really?” Jeff nodded. “Can I choose?” Sebby begged, fluttering his eyelashes up at Jeff.

The blond grinned and kissed him on the temple, knowing that he had won. “Of course,” he agreed, wrapping an arm around a now pliant Sebby’s shoulders and steering him down the corridor.

When they reached the bathroom, Jeff shut off the water now that the levels were perfect. He laughed when he turned back to Sebby, who had already started undressing himself. 

Sebby's eagerness to get naked didn't surprise Jeff one bit. Even as a teenager, getting him undressed was always easy; it was dressing him that was difficult.

After a little help from Jeff with his shoelaces, it wasn’t long before Sebby was stepping carefully into the water.

Jeff didn't take his eyes off of Sebby until the boy was sitting down. When he was sure that there was no danger of him slipping, Jeff followed his example and stripped down, before climbing into the tub behind him. The water was a little hotter than Jeff would have preferred, but Sebby didn’t seem bothered by it, so he didn’t waste time trying to fix it.

Leaning back against the side of the tub, Jeff reached out and pulled Sebby back into his arms.

“Are you okay?” Jeff asked, flicking water at his boy with a grin.

Sebby giggled and nodded his head, splashing Jeff back in response. “I love you, Daddy,” he whispered, laughing as he poured a handful of water over Jeff’s head.

Jeff laughed along with him, and tickled his ribs gently. He loved hearing Sebby’s laugh, but didn’t get to hear it nearly half as much as he should. “I love you too, Baby,” he replied, kissing Sebby’s temple softly.

They played a little, before the weariness of the day starting catching up with Sebby, and his energy started to seep out of him. It wasn’t long before Sebby curled against Jeff’s chest and closed his eyes.

Jeff had started to doze off when he heard a phone's camera click from the doorway. He glanced up and grinned when he saw Kurt watching them, his phone in hand. They had been in the bath longer than Jeff had meant, he realised. If Kurt had arrived from Lima, it had to be closer to nine o'clock now.

Gently, Jeff nudged Sebby. The five-year old would need to go to bed soon. When he didn’t stir, Jeff nudged him again a little harder. “Sebby,” he whispered, trying to wake the other up. “Come on, baby. We need to get out of the water.”

Sebby whined and curled further into Jeff’s arms, but otherwise didn’t react.

Kurt chuckled at Sebby's behaviour, pocketing his phone as he stepped further into the room. “Looks like you’re going to have to stay in the tub forever, Jeff,” he commented softly. “Maybe if you stay in there long enough, you’ll become a merman.”

At the sound of Kurt’s voice, Sebby's head snapped up – immediately awake – and his green eyes widened. “Papi?” he breathed. “You’re back?”

There was note of confusion, mingled with hope, to his voice that made Jeff’s chest clench painfully. When Kurt had decided that his relationship with Blaine was more important than what they had, Sebastian had been devastated. He'd regressed to Sebby, and hadn't returned for almost a week. It hadn't taken long for Sebby to realise that his Papi had no intention of returning to them - him. 

To say he had been heartbroken was an understatement. Jeff never wanted to witness his boy going through that again. He and Kurt had already talked about it, and Jeff had made it very clear he wasn't allowed to treat Sebby's feelings for him like that again.

A tear slid out of the corner of Kurt’s eye, no doubt he was remembering their conversation, before he wiped it away. “I would never stay away from my Sebby,” he chided, coming to a stop next to the bath and crouching down. “Why don’t you get out of the tub, and we can go play before bed?” he offered.

"Daddy's going to read me a story," Sebby argued petulantly.

Kurt grinned back at him. "Can I listen to it with you?" he asked, holding his hand out to him.  

Sebby glanced at Jeff questioningly, clearly looking for advice on what he should do. When Jeff nodded, the hesitation vanished and Sebby grinned, throwing his arms around Kurt.

Jeff had to bite back a laugh at the surprised look on Kurt’s face when the wet boy launched himself at him. If Jeff knew Kurt as well as he thought he did, most (if not all) of the clothes he was wearing were probably dry clean only. Sebby had probably just ruined everything on his body.

Not that Kurt seemed bothered by that fact. In fact, he looked elated at Sebby's greeting. He pressed a kiss to Sebby's hair, before helping him out of the tub. He grabbed a towel from the rack and began drying their boy, while Jeff climbed out of the tub himself.

“Uncle Nicky should be here by now,” Kurt told Sebby, making him bounce happily on the spot.

Jeff chuckled at their boy’s enthusiasm. "I don't suppose you grabbed his pyjamas?" he asked Kurt as he wrapped a towel around his waist.

Kurt shook his head. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be in here, honestly,” he replied.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Sebby decided that he was bored of being in the bathroom and broke away from Kurt. They could hear him running down the corridor and Jeff shook his head affectionately; Sebby would be naked all day if they let him.

Hell, so would Sebastian.

“Did he say what happened?” Kurt whispered as he and Jeff followed their boy at a much more sensible speed.

Jeff shook his head. “You know he won’t remember,” he pointed out. Sebby didn't remember anything about being a teenager, so it was pointless to even ask him. “We’ll have to wait until Sebastian’s back.” 

Kurt sighed, but didn’t speak as they reached the bedroom. Like he had suspected, Nick had arrived while they had been in the bathroom with Sebby and he was currently being tackled by a very naked five year old.

When he heard them enter the room, Nick glanced up. As soon as his eyes landed on Kurt, he let out a laugh. “What happened to you?” he chuckled.

“Someone got a little enthusiastic,” Kurt answered, smiling affectionately at the five-year old who was currently climbing on Nick's back. 

Jeff chuckled and shook his head as he moved over to the dresser. As much as Sebby would love to spend his time in the nude, Jeff wasn’t about to let him get sick.

As soon as Sebby saw what Jeff was holding, he shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. “Don’t wanna!” he complained, tightening his grip on Nick. 

Nick laughed and pulled Sebby out from behind him. “You’re not gonna be a naughty boy for Daddy, are you?” he asked, nudging him in the direction of Jeff.

Sebby’s eyes widened and he shook his head firmly. Jeff knew what was running through his mind. From the beginning, they had instilled in their boy that if he misbehaved too much, they would punish him. They never would, but Sebby didn’t know that.

It didn’t take Jeff long to dress Sebby - his Flash pyjamas were the young boy’s favourite, and he loved them, even though he tried to pretend otherwise.

Sebby bounced onto the bed when he was dressed and practically fell into Nick’s lap. The dark haired teenager laughed and wrapped his arms around Sebby, while the others got dressed.

“Did you have fun playing in the bath?” Nick asked, keeping Sebby entertained for them.

The young boy nodded, a big grin on his face. “Daddy used lots of Papi’s favourite bubbles,” he gushed.

Jeff winced. He had no idea how Sebby had known they hadn't been his bubbles he'd used. Kurt was going to kill him. He chanced glancing up to see the countertenor glaring at him. "I’ll replace it," he swore.

“You better,” Kurt growled. “That shit’s expensive.”

Sebby gasped immediately and he pressed his hand to his mouth. “Papi said a bad word,” he whispered, his green eyes flickering between Jeff and Nick nervously.

The teenagers laughed, and Jeff climbed onto the bed, slotting into place beside Nick. “He did,” Jeff agreed, reaching out and running a hand through Sebby's slightly damp hair. “What do you think we should do with him?”

Sebby turned his attention to Kurt as he considered what his punishment should be. As he thought, Kurt pouted and fluttered his eyelashes, trying to sway him into being lenient.

It was all a game - a show for Sebby - but it made the young boy smile, which would always be their intention, so none of them could find it in them to not play along.

“Make _him_ read us a story,” he decided eventually, a proud grin spreading across his face at the genius-ness of his decision.

A mock-relieved smile spread across Kurt’s face. “I can do that,” he agreed. “And I know just the right story.”

He leant down and pressed a kiss against Sebby’s forehead, whispering that he would be right back, before he ducked out of the room.

While they waited for Kurt to return, Sebby glanced around and gasped in horror. Jeff and Nick looked at him in alarm, and he exclaimed, “Where’s Uncle Hunt?”

Nick and Jeff exchanged looks over Sebby’s head, silently trying to decide what to tell the other boy. In the end, they figured that the truth was easiest. “He had to go away for a few days,” Jeff explained softly. “He had to go to this _boring_ wedding.” He pulled a face, trying to make Sebby smile again. It didn’t work.

Sensing the shift in Sebby’s mood, Nick reached over for his jacket. “Why don’t I call him and you can say hello while we wait for Papi?” he suggested.

Jeff felt adoration flood through him at the suggestion and if Sebby hadn’t been sat in his lap, his boyfriend would have found himself with Jeff sitting on him instead. Nick was so good at making Sebby smile again.

Instantly the dejected look disappeared from Sebby’s face and he nodded his head eagerly.

“Hey, Hunter,” Nick greeted when the call was answered. “How’s the wedding?”

Jeff was close enough that he could perfectly hear Hunter’s response of, _“Boring. This is exactly why I avoid family gatherings.”_

Nick chuckled. “Do you think you can get away from them for a few minutes?” he requested.

“ _Definitely,”_ Hunter practically purred in response. “ _Gotta admit, that’s a new one. Even for us, Nick._ ”

Jeff snorted and pressed his face against Nick's shoulder to stop himself from laughing loudly. Nick rolled his eyes. “I didn’t mean _that_ ,” he corrected the other teenager. “I just meant that I have a certain five-year old in my lap who wants to say hello to his Uncle Hunt.”

“ _Crap_ ,” Hunter cursed at Nick’s words. All of them knew how bad things had to be for Sebby to make an appearance. “ _Did he say what happened_?”

Nick’s eyes flickered down to Sebby who was waiting not-so-patiently to speak to Hunter; hopefully he couldn’t hear what was being said like Jeff could. “Not a word,” he admitted.

Through the phone line they could hear Hunter sigh, before he said, “I bet it had something to do with the last test we took. Sebastian got like a B or something. I think it was Algebra.”

Immediately Jeff knew that Hunter was right and he couldn't believe they hadn't figured it out earlier. Algebra was Sebastian's worst subject, and he had to fight to maintain a passing grade. Even with Jeff's help - he was the best at Algebra - he struggled to understand what the teachers were talking about most of the time.

If he had gotten a B and seen his father - who classed anything other than an A as a failure - in the same day, that would definitely be enough to bring Sebby to the front of Sebastian's mind.

Suddenly, everything made so much more sense.

“ _Put him on_ ,” Hunter half-requested, half-ordered of Nick.

Obligingly, Nick turned the phone over to Sebby, who accepted it eagerly. “Uncle Hunt?” he asked timdly.

 _“Hey, little man,”_ Hunter greeted and they could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. _“Are you being a being a good boy for me?”_

Sebby nodded his head. When Nick prodded him to answer verbally, he agreed and whispered, “I miss you.”

 _“I miss you too, Sebby,”_ Hunter replied. “ _Trust me, I’d rather be there than at this_ boring _wedding._ ” He made a noise that could only be him blowing a raspberry, making Sebby giggle. _“Tell me something fun that happened today_ ,” he requested.

 _“_ Papi said a bad word,” Sebby tattled on Kurt.

Hunter laughed. _“Did he really? What did he say?”_

Jeff’s eyes narrowed. Hunter was always the one that let Sebby get away with breaking the rules, making the others the disciplinarians. The blond shook his head when Sebby looked at him questioningly. “Don’t even think about it,” he cautioned knowing that their boy was asking for permission.

Sebby swallowed nervously, before he turned his attention back to his conversation with Hunter. “Daddy won’t let me,” he explained.

Through the line, they could hear the other teenager laugh again. _“It’s okay, Sebby,_ ” Hunter assured him. _“I think I can guess. What made him say the bad word?”_

Sebby grinned widely. “Daddy used his favourite bubbles.”

 _“That would definitely do it,”_ Hunter agreed with a chuckle. _“What is he doing to make up for it?”_

The five year old bounced a little in Nick’s lap. “He’s going to read me a story,” he exclaimed in excitement.

Almost as though talking about him had summoned him, Kurt chose that moment to return with his laptop in hand. Kurt raised an eyebrow when he saw that Sebby was on the phone, and looked at the other’s questioningly.

“Hunter?” he ventured a guess, to which the others nodded in agreement. “Tell Uncle Hunt I said ‘hi’, baby.”

Obligingly, Sebby relayed the message. “He says ‘Hi’, Papi,” Sebby replied, turning his attention back to Kurt. Suddenly he giggled. “He said you’re a naughty boy for saying a bad word.”

Kurt snorted with laughter and rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard you say worse, Hunter!” he yelled loudly so he could be heard through the phone.

None of them could hear what Hunter said in response, but it made Sebby laugh insanely and he refused to admit what his uncle had said.

 _“If Papi’s back, you need to go hear your story before bed, little man,”_ Hunter said, the reluctance obvious in his voice. Jeff wasn’t sure if it was reluctance to go back to the party, or because he didn’t want to put the phone down on Sebby.

He suspected it was mostly the latter.

Sebby pouted a little, even though he was obviously torn as well; he clearly didn’t want Hunter to go, but he _really_ wanted to hear Kurt’s story. “Will you be back soon?” Sebby whispered sadly.

“ _I’ll be back before you know it,_ ” Hunter assured him. He didn’t bother saying that he would be back by the time school started again on Monday; hopefully Sebastian would be back to his usual self by then. “ _I love you, Little man.”_

“I love you too, Uncle Hunt,” Sebby murmured, before handing the phone back to Nick, who cancelled the call for him.

Nick reached up and put the phone on the small shelf above the bed; the room really wasn't big enough for the bed and bedside tables as well. "Are you going to stay on my knee while Papi reads your story?" he asked. Sebby nodded his head. "Well, why don't you get up for a second, so we can get under the covers?"

When Sebby did as Nick suggested, Jeff made a mental to note to ask his boyfriend how he did it.  _He_ had to resort to bribery techniques to get Sebby to do what he wanted. All Nick had to do was ask. 

It didn't take long for them to relocate themselves to under the covers, with Kurt taking the more logical place in between Jeff and Nick. Sebby had returned to Nick's lap as soon as the dark haired teenager had sat back down.

“Do you remember how the last one ended?” Kurt asked, opening his laptop and logging on.

Sebby nodded eagerly and Jeff grinned. Kurt had been toying with short stories for a while now. Each one had been written with Sebby in mind, and the five year old couldn’t have been more happy about that if he tried.

“This is the second part,” Kurt said, finding the document and loading it onto the screen. “There are a few voices, so Daddy and Uncle Nicky are going to have to help. Do you think they’re up to it?”

Sebby glanced up at both Nick and Jeff, looking at them with a scrutinizing eye before nodding seriously. “It might be hard for Uncle Nicky, but you can help with the big words.”

“Hey!” Nick exclaimed with a pout. “That was mean,” he grumbled, before grinning to show Sebby that he wasn't really upset with him.

Kurt laughed. “It’s okay, baby boy. We’ll all help him.”

He cleared his throat for a second, pausing for dramatic effect until Sebby was ready, before beginning.

_"Once upon a time..."_

_***_


	2. The Morning After

When Sebastian slowly regained consciousness, the first thing he was aware of what he wasn’t in bed. Not technically. Sure, there were covers over him, but he was definitely lying on top of a body rather than a mattress.

There were a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him, holding Sebastian close. Whoever it was, clearly had no intention in releasing him if they could help it.

Without opening his eyes, Sebastian buried his nose in the chest of whoever he was lying on and inhaled deeply.

It was Nick; he would recognise the other Warbler’s scent anywhere.

He peeled his eyes open and glanced to his left. He smiled a little when he saw that Kurt was curled tightly to Nick’s side; one of his hands were resting on Sebastian’s back. Jeff was pressed against the countertenor’s back, while his hand rested on Sebastian’s hip.

Even half asleep, it didn’t escape Sebastian’s attention that they were all clearly trying to keep him within reach.

Sebastian didn't want to move - Nick was far too comfortable - but after a while (Sebastian didn’t know or care how long) the need to use the bathroom became so strong he couldn’t ignore it.

With difficulty, he extracted himself from the three teenager’s grip. He froze when it looked like Nick was going to wake up from the lack of pressure on his chest. When he didn’t twitch, Sebastian let out a sigh of relief and tiptoed from the room.

He winced when the bathroom light flickered on as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. As soon as he could actually see, he went about doing what he needed to. It was only when he had finished, he turned to wash his hands, and finally look at himself in the mirror above the sink.

The dark circles that had been growing darker under his eyes weren’t as prominent as they had been. And he certainly felt more relaxed than he had for weeks.

Sebastian let his eyes slide down from his face to his chest. He wasn’t surprised to see that he was wearing Sebby’s Flash pyjamas. The five year old may not remember anything about being a teenager, but that didn’t mean that Sebastian hadn’t remember being a five year old.

Memories of the previous evening made his cheeks flush in embarrassment. He tried so hard to keep Sebby at bay, and hated it when he failed. He and Kurt had talked about it - at length - and it taken Sebastian a long time to admit that there were sometimes when he couldn’t keep up the pretence any more.

Usually, only going to see his parents - specifically, his father - pushed him past his limits of being able to cope.

Luckily, over the years, Sebastian had learnt to recognise the symptoms for what they were; a sign that he was about to lose himself.

It usually started with an uncontrollable feeling of overwhelming panic. Then an amazing sense of calm came over him, making it feel like the world had stopped.

He knew instinctively that feeling like that, meant he needed to get somewhere Sebby knew and wouldn’t freak out. Letting his five-year-old self roam the halls of Dalton or streets of Westerville without one of the others, was one of the worst things Sebastian could imagine.

This time he had barely left the driveway of Smythe Manor (yes, his family really were rich enough to own a manor, and name it), when he had felt the first signs of Sebby’s arrival.

Sebastian knew he should have pulled over and called one of the others to get him; Jeff had yelled at him enough in the past for him to know that fighting off the change, and driving while doing so, was dangerous for everyone.

Logically, Sebastian knew that, but instinct always took over and the only thing he could focus on was getting somewhere safe. Namely the house.

Sebastian didn't know how long he had been standing in front of the mirror when there was a soft knock on the bathroom door.

“Sebby?” Kurt's soft voice called as he pushed the door open a little. “Are you okay?” He smiled when he saw Sebastian by the mirror, before he stepped further into the room.

Sebastian tried to smile at Kurt, but it was difficult when he couldn't really answer the question.  He didn't  _ feel _ okay, but he couldn't put his finger on what felt off.

“It's me… Kurt,” he replied. After a night of calling him ‘Papi’, using Kurt’s name felt foreign to Sebastian. He tried to dismiss it as lingering feelings from Sebby, but wasn't sure if he managed to convince himself.

Kurt frowned a little, clearly picking up on the hesitation and uncertainty. “Are you okay?” he whispered, moving closer to Sebastian. The taller teen swallowed and nodded. Even he wasn’t convinced, and neither was Kurt who raised an eyebrow. “Why do I get the feeling you're lying to me?'

Shame washed over Sebastian and he averted his eyes guiltily, avoiding Kurt’s gaze stubbornly.

He stiffened when Kurt stepped up behind him and wrapped his arms around Sebastian's waist.

This was the part of Kurt that he both loved and hated at the same time. Kurt had always been pretty tactile with them, but there were times when Sebastian couldn’t help think the other teenager touched  _ him  _ more than the rest of them. Then he always managed to convince himself that he was doing nothing more than projecting his feelings.

“Are you really to tell us what happened yesterday?” Kurt asked softly, lightly resting his chin on Sebastian's shoulder as he met the other’s gaze in their reflection.

Sebastian took a deep breath, not liking how much it shuddered in his chest. “I'm surprised you haven't figured it out,” he muttered sarcastically. When Kurt looked at him sharply, he glanced down reproachfully without even thinking about it.

After a beat, during which he tried to gather his thoughts, he told Kurt, “My father wasn't too impressed with my last algebra test.”

Calling him ‘father’ was so cold and unfamiliar, but Sebastian genuinely couldn't remember the last time he had referred to as ‘dad’. As far as Sebastian was concerned, he only had one dad and it wasn't Robert Smythe, it was...

He roughly cut off that thought before it had fully formed. Sebastian generally tried to not think about the others like  _ that  _ when Sebby wasn't around. If he did, Sebastian know he wouldn’t be able to use the excuse that stress had caused the regression.

Then he would just be a freak with daddy issues.

Kurt hummed sympathetically and pressed his lips against Sebastian's shoulder. “You know,” he whispered, “just because you were big when you woke up doesn't mean you have to stay that way.”

Horror flooded through Sebastian when he realised what Kurt was suggesting.

Every time Sebby had been around, it had been because of circumstances Sebastian hadn't been able to control. His coping mechanism. For Sebastian to actually make the decision to regress... that would be a whole different ball park entirely.

Correctly interpreting Sebastian's silence for what it was, Kurt tightened his grip a little. “I'm not saying you have to be Sebby all the time,” he said softly. “But, if you wanted to spend the rest of the day playing, rather than being a teenager, none of us would think any less of you.'

The corner of Kurt’s mouth quirked up in a smile. “I think Jeff was actually hoping to spend more time with Sebby. He’s missed him.”

Sebastian wasn’t surprised that Jeff had missed Sebby. Out of the other four teenagers, Jeff was the one that took to being part of Sebby’s life the easiest. The other’s - Kurt included - had all been hesitant at first, even if they had eventually come around to the idea.

“I can’t,” Sebastian whispered, shaking his head a little.

A sad look crossed Kurt’s face. “Why not?” he challenged softly.

Sebastian paused for a second, trying to think of a good enough reason why he couldn’t let Sebby run wild. It was obvious that his subconscious didn’t want to be a teenager - there was no denying the lingering feelings he currently had. But something like  _ that  _ was so far out of the norm for Sebastian, he… just couldn’t.

“Because if I do that, I'm just like all the other freaks,” he whispered eventually.

Immediately, a furious look crossed Kurt's face. “Don't you dare call yourself that again!” he hissed angrily, making Sebastian shrink in on himself. As soon as he realised that Sebastian was afraid of him, Kurt relaxed a fraction. He still looked angry, though.

“We have talked about this before. Everyone has different coping mechanisms. Yours do not make you a freak. You needing to be Sebby occasionally is part of who you are. You can't change him anymore than you can change the fact that you're gay.”

Sebastian looked away. He could Kurt was still angry with him and he hated it. He hated how much he always let the other teenager down. Kurt believed in him more than Sebastian did some days, and making him angry was apparently the only way he could thank him?

“I know what you’re thinking, Sebastian,” Kurt whispered, pressing his lips against Sebastian’s cheek. “And you need to stop. You haven’t let anyone down and I’m not mad at you. I just wish you wouldn’t call yourself a freak.”

They were silent for a moment as Sebastian tried to convince himself that Kurt was right.

“I don’t know how to be Sebby without having a trigger,” he whispered.

Kurt smiled sadly and kissed his shoulder again. “Just let go,” he instructed softly. “Try to remember what you were feeling yesterday, and focus on letting Sebby take over.” Sebastian hesitated, and Kurt continued. “You're safe with me, Jeff and Nick. We wouldn't let anything happen to you. You know that.”

He did. For a long time, Sebastian had trusted the others with his well being. Especially Kurt.

Sebastian took another deep breath and let his eyes flicker closed. “Papi,” he whispered, the word coming surprisingly naturally to him.

He opened his eyes and looked back at their reflections. He felt more relieved when he saw Kurt looking back at him with adoration. He wasn’t judging him, Sebastian realised. Kurt loved everything about him; even Sebby.

“Morning, Sweetheart,” Kurt greeted, grinning brightly.

The sound of Kurt's nickname for Sebby falling from the teenager’s lips convinced Sebastian that he had made the right choice.

Kurt was right. He didn't need to be big today. He could let go and be Sebby, without worrying about what his father, or anyone else, thought.

“Shall we go wake up Daddy and Uncle Nicky?” Kurt asked. He never loosened his grip on Sebby for a second.

Sebby grinned, his teenage worries falling away as he slipped further into his five-year-old persona. Eagerly, he nodded his head.

Papi returned the grin easily and reached down for his hand, linking their fingers together in a way that made Sebby beam happily.

Together, they made their way back into the bedroom, where Daddy and Uncle Nicky were both still asleep. Without anyone else in between them, they had automatically curled around other in their sleep.

It was cute, Sebby thought, but he was bored of being ignored. Plus, surely it was time for everyone to be awake?

Grinning wickedly, Sebby pulled away from Papi and took a running jump onto the bed, laughing as he did so. Behind him, he heard Papi laugh as well as he landed half on Uncle Nicky and half on Daddy.

Uncle Nicky let out a startled noise when he was roughly shaken awake. “Wake up, Uncle Nicky!” Sebby instructed, giggling as he bounced up and down on the mattress.

“Wha?” Uncle Nicky groaned, forcing his eyes open. “Baby, it's too early.”

Sebby laughed and shook his head. “Papi said I can play!” he stated. Sebby let out an excited yelp when he saw that Daddy was awake as well, and threw himself at the blond man. “Daddy!”

“Someone’s very awake this morning,” Daddy commented, peppering kisses all over Sebby’s face.

Papi hummed in agreement, and Sebby turned to see him sitting on the end of the bed. “I think it's because of how much sleep he got last night.”

Uncle Nicky was awake properly now and he sat up as well. “Do you want to help me make breakfast, baby?” he asked, turning his attention to Sebby.

He nodded, grinning happily as he slipped his hand into Uncle Nicky’s and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “Can we make waffles?” he asked, looking up at Uncle Nicky through his eyelashes.

Uncle Nicky ruffled his already messy hair. “Of course we can.”

Sebby grinned happily and skipped down the hall to the kitchen; Uncle Nicky even skipped with him as well.

He loved the kitchen; it was his second favourite place in the whole house. His first favourite was the bedroom, because that was where his toys were and he was allowed to bounce on the bed. His least favourite was the bathroom, because Daddy and Papi made him do boring stuff like clean his teeth and take a bath.

Sebby was allowed to help in the kitchen as long as one of the others was there, and he wasn’t allowed to touch anything that could hurt him. Mostly, he ended up sitting on the counter watching Papi make things; he was the better cook and Sebby loved to help him surprise the others with food.

Uncle Nicky wasn't as good as Papi at most stuff, but his Waffles were the best.

“Do you want to grab what toppings you want, Baby?” Uncle Nicky said, nudging Sebby in the direction of the pantry.

Still skipping a little, Sebby headed to the cupboard and pulled the door open. Inside there was a lot of things that made him pull a face (namely the icky beer), but he ignored them. He knew exactly where the stuff he liked was; mainly the stash of candy that had been hidden from him.

Daddy didn't know that Uncle Hunt had shown him the secret, and Sebby wasn't going to tell him. He wasn't about to be a tattle tale.

With a grin, he grabbed a handful of candy bars and turned back around to face Uncle Nicky.

“I don't think Daddy will be happy about you eating that much candy for breakfast, baby,” Uncle Nicky laughed when he saw what Sebby had found.

Sebby pouted and clutched the candy tightly to his chest. Uncle Nicky laughed again and shook his head. “You can have one,” he bargained, “You have to save the rest for later.”

That was mean, Sebby thought. He didn't like Uncle Nicky's rules, but had no desire to be punished, so he picked his favourite candy from the pile; a peanut butter cup. He didn’t want Daddy to find out he knew about the secret supply, so Sebby quickly ran back to cupboard and hid the rest of it again.

Uncle Nicky grabbed the waffle iron from the corner and plugged it in. Sebby made sure to keep away from it; the heat scared him and he didn't want to get hurt.

There was a beeping coming from Uncle Nicky’s cellphone and he quickly grabbed it, responding to whoever it was. Sebby had no idea who it was and he didn’t care; cell phones confused him, so he didn’t pay attention to them.

“Do you think Papi will want syrup or fruit on his waffles?” Uncle Nicky asked, turning his attention back to Sebby as he started making the mixture.

Sebby bit his lip in thought as he tried to remember what Papi liked. “Syrup,” he eventually decided, remembering that Papi liked sweet things. “Daddy will want fruit.” He tilted his head to the side. “You do too,” he stated.

Uncle Nicky laughed and shook his head. “Do I?” he challenged softly.

Whatever response Sebby had been about to reply was interrupted when another voice said behind him, “What about me?”

With a yelp, Sebby whirled around in surprise. “Uncle Hunt!” he cried at the top of his voice. In the blink of an eye, he tore across the kitchen and threw his arms around Uncle Hunt, hugging hugged him tightly. “You’re back!”

Uncle Hunt clung to him tightly in response. “I told you I’d be back before you knew it,” he pointed out, pressing a soft kiss to Sebby’s cheek. “I think I’ll stick with Papi on this one and have syrup,” he decided. “And the biggest cup of coffee we have,” he added, glancing over at Uncle Nicky.

Uncle Nicky laughed, and set about making a cup of (in Sebby’s opinion) gross coffee, but it was Papi that answered, “I told you not to drive all that way so early.”

Sebby giggled when Uncle Hunt rolled his eyes before he turned to face Papi. “And I told you last night, that I was bored at the wedding, anyway,” he stated, watching Papi step fully into the kitchen. “Besides,” he continued, grinning down at Sebby, “I missed my little man.”

“Are you okay now?” Uncle Hunt asked, wrapping his arm around Sebby’s shoulders. “You sounded sad last night.”

Sebby didn’t remember being sad. He remembered missing Uncle Hunt, but that had felt better when Uncle Nicky had called him before Papi had read his story. Maybe he had been sad before then. It seemed so long ago, it was hard to tell.

He nodded his head and buried his face in Uncle Hunt’s chest. “I’m glad you’re here, Uncle Hunt,” he whispered.

Uncle Hunt pressed a kiss to the top of his head and Sebby heard a murmured, “Me too, little man. Me too.”

**


End file.
